St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-07-09

with the leaders of public opinion il
Germany, such as Bismarck, Moltke
Lasker, Windthorst and others, has hae
the benefit of their instruction, to say
nothing of that of his venerated father
and the latter's grandson would, if called
to the control of affairs, find his task del
icate and difficult, the more so, as the
sagest of Germany's statesmen are
likely to soon join the majority who
have gone to the tomb. The doctors
differ as to the character of the throat
complaint, the German physicians pro
nouncing it a cancerous affection, while
the English specialist who has been
treating it says it is merely q warty
growth.
~
The enactment in Massachusetts of a
law exempting veterans from the con-
ditions of the civil service law of the
State is described by the New York
Egensng Post as ''the worst blow admin
istered to the reform service since the
enactment of the Pendleton law by Con-
gress." If this law is good law there
is no reason why it should not be applied
to veterans as we'll as to other citizens,
and it may be that the Massachusetts,
enactment is really the manifestation of
a reaction against the law itself There
is a widespread sentiment that peda-
gogic measurements of mans knowl-
o1~ Ia of nw1 oF 10
executive faculty. and it is not what a
man knows but what he can do that
gives the measure of his value in the
world. A docile mind and a good
memory may enable a person to stand
well at school who may turn out to be a
hopeless mediocrity when subjected to
the practical tests of life. It is worth
the consideration of the particular
friends of civil service reform whether
they are not likely to excite strong re-
action against the whole business by
some of their methods.
~
The liquor traffic has been prohibited
in Maine for thirty-three years and no
pains have been spared to make the laws
as stringent as possible. 1t is, however,
well known that the sale of liquor goes
on. The Voice, a prohibition organ, has
sent queries to all the bankers, lawyers,
clergymen and physicians in Bangor, and
all the replies agree in stating that the
prohibitory law is not enforced in that
city. Congressman Dingley, however,
contends that prohibition has not been q
failure and is success, on the ground
that it "has effectually closed both open
and secret dram-shops In three-fourths
of Maine, and that what remains Of the
traffic in the cities and larger villages,
where a large foreign population is
found-with the exception of one city
where the traffic is more open-is carried
on secretly under such disadvantageous
conditions arising from repeated prose-
cutions that twenty of such secret saloons
in Maine do not sell as much liquor as
one open licensed gropshop in Boston or
New York"
a.
The activity of the Prohibition party
seems at present to be greater in the
South than in the North. The campaign
in Texas is very hot, and the State is
profoundly agitated by the contest. In
Kentucky the Prohibition candidates are
making an active canvass, and sixty
seven counties are organized. The lack
of the old party organizations in clearly
defined issues appealing to popular en-
thusiasm enables new parties like the
Labor and Prohibition organizations to
make rapid headway. Whatever else the
Prohibition party may accomplish, it is
certainly forcing decisive action on the
subject of the regulation of the liquor
traffic. The effect is seen in Pennsyl-
vania, Michigan and Texas by the passage
of stringent license laws. Michigan has
recently enacted local option law, and
in addition levies State tax of $500 on
every wholesale liquor dealer and $500
on every retail dealer. State taxation
and local option are found to work
together most effectively for the restric-
tion of the liquor traffic.
~
Internal revenue receipts for eleven
months of the fiscal year are about
$1,500,000 greater than for the same
period last year, despite decrease in
the receipts from distilled liquor of
nearly S3,0O0,OOO. Tobacco tax receipts
increased $1,200,0O0, those from fer
mented liquors $2,0O0,000, and 100000
was collected from oleomargarine. To
be able to make such showing OF tax
receipts the country must be in pros
porous condition.
~
1t is calculated to cause alarm to the
managers of the famed Suez canal that
the time from Shanghai, China, to New
York is but ty-eight days, and
eight days additional to Liverpool. This
is eight days quicker than the suez
route. If ever the Panama canal is COM
pleted, the shortest route from China to
England will be the trans-Pacific.